


Days of Advent, Chapter 6: Something Small

by CorsairOriginal



Series: Days of Advent [11]
Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, On The Way To A Smile: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Shinra Company
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27590099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorsairOriginal/pseuds/CorsairOriginal
Summary: Cloud Strife survived human experimentation, loss of memory, mako addiction, and the machinations of a mad SOLDIER. He is much less certain how he will survive peacetime. Elsewhere, SpecOps agents ready themselves to take the first steps into the abandoned Shinra building since Meteorfall.**Contains Spoilers for Before Crisis FFVII******For those who haven't read "Through Another's Eyes," I would recommend at least reading Chapters 1,2, 13, and 14. While not completely necessary, it does help to understand where this story starts from.****
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Days of Advent [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903474
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Days of Advent, Chapter 6: Something Small

Cloud sat on the floor in the bedroom he and Tifa shared, a blanket laid out as he cleaned one of his many weapons. During his months-long journey from Midgar to Meteorfall, he had acquired a handful of blades other than the Buster Sword. None of them had ever felt perfect in his hands, but they could get a job done. 

Not that there was a job to be done anymore…

Vincent, Yuffie, and Nanaki had left for some business an hour before, leaving only Cloud, Tifa, Elmyra, and Reeve—along with Cait Sith. (The two of them sharing the same space all the time was still weird to Cloud.) The cheery chatter between Elmyra, Tifa, and Cait Sith drifted from the kitchen on the house’s top floor. The two women were hard at work making cold sandwiches to pass out to volunteers later. Meanwhile, Reeve’s dress shoes tapped against the floorboards as he readied himself for whatever important matters he had to attend to. 

Without the extra din from extra roommates it was quiet enough for Cloud to sit in his thoughts. For as peaceful as his head should have been, defeating Sephiroth and Meteor had done little to make Cloud’s headspace a comfortable place. As his gloved hands swept a cloth over the lines and curves of this unnamed, heavy blade, he stewed over each blemish and studied the cutting edge for any nicks.

“Be back tonight,” Reeve called to the collective household as his footfalls descended the staircase. “Cait.” Rushed, light steps signaled Cait Sith dashing from the kitchen to follow in his partner’s shadow.

“See you soon,” Elmyra chimed.

“Be safe!” Tifa’s voice followed after.

“You too,” Reeve said.

“Bye fer noo!” Cait’s chirped. “See ye efter.”

Cloud said nothing, still lost in thought. Was this how a family with commuters sounded? Was this what normal sounded like? The front door closing echoed through the house, and Cloud’s brow knitted as a stillness instantly settled. However, behind him he noted soft steps pausing in the doorframe of the bedroom.

“Hey,” Cloud said dully.

“You wanna come up and help?” Tifa asked.

He shrugged, not turning to her. “Not really.”

“Think you’re not a ‘sandwich guy’?” she said lightly, leaning into his field of vision, her long tail of dark hair sliding forward with her movements.

Cloud’s eyes met with hers only a moment. “There’s no such thing as a ‘sandwich guy.’ Anybody can make a sandwich.”

“Wanna prove it?” she said with a playful grin.

Half-smiling, Cloud set down the blade next to several others. “I was…gonna take these outside and sharpen them. I guess.”

Tifa’s brow knitted as she knelt beside him. “…Cloud, how long are you going to just do nothing?”

Bitterly, he tugged at a loose string on the end of his polishing cloth. “I earned rest.”

“Of course you did,” she affirmed with a nod. “But you’re not resting.”

“Look,” he grumbled, “anything I’m actually good at has been shoved on Shinra troops just to give them busywork, and out of any of us I’m the  _ least _ welcome joining in.”

“Cloud…” Tifa sighed.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” he said sharply.

“You’re wrong!” she snapped. “You’re good at  _ plenty _ of things. You’re a jack-of-all-trades, aren’t you?”

Pushing himself to his feet, Cloud began to gather up his swords, rolling them into the bundle of cloth. “Am I?” 

Or was he just an unemployed infantryman with nothing left to fight?

The unsaid words were somehow still heard by Tifa as she frowned up at him. “Cloud. We won. But it’s been only five days. It’s going to take longer than that for you to figure out what you want now,” she pressed, standing up with him. “But in the meantime, don’t you think you should… _ try _ some things? It might help you narrow it down?”

“I don’t plan to make sandwiches for a living, so cross that one off for me,” he said blankly. As Cloud hefted the roll under his arm, he gave her a non-committal shrug. “I’ll be outside.”

Her lips tight, Tifa shook her head in resignation. “Sure. Okay.”

Cloud stepped by her, apologies he wouldn’t voice beating against the sides of his skull as he descended the stairs. How could Tifa always be right? Would it hurt for her to be immature for once? It was infuriating how well she handled things suddenly being mundane. Why couldn’t Cloud handle it? It was what he had been fighting for, wasn’t it?

As Cloud reached a hand for the front door, it opened slowly from the other direction. Surprised, he took a step back. Reeve leaned back into the door, and when he and Cloud met eyes he held a finger to his lips—preemptively silencing any questions Cloud had about what he was doing back after just leaving. Alone, Reeve eased into the parlor, cautiously bringing in a small animal carrier. A tiny, forlorn mew came from it, and Cloud tilted his head in confusion. 

After Reeve shut the door behind himself, Cloud wordlessly pointed at the carrier 

Beaming, Reeve’s only response was a rapidly-growing, dopey grin. He set down the carrier gently, and then loudly called up the stairs, “Tifa! Elmyra! There’s something you need to see.”

“Reeve?” Elmyra’s voice responded in surprise. She appeared at the top of the stairs, wiping her hands on her capri pants as she descended. “What is this? I thought you were headed out.”

Tifa was several steps behind her. When another upset meow rang out from the carrier, she jolted to a stop. Her brassy eyes widened and she audibly gasped. “Wh…? That can’t be…!”

Reeve knelt beside the carrier, easing its door open and his smile threatening to spread beyond his cheeks. “My escort today brought a refugee from Midgar. Look who finally decided to come out of hiding.”

Now kneeling in front of the open carrier, Elmyra took in a deep breath loudly and placed a hand on her mouth. “It is!”

A small, furry form gingerly neared the door of the carrier, gold eyes large and sharp ears plastered against its head. The calico cat took a tentative step out, then slunk back when Tifa drew closer.

“It is, it’s Reggie…” Tifa whispered, her eyes instantly growing teary as she smiled.

“Come out, baby,” Elmyra cooed in a high-pitched voice, gesturing with a finger gently.

Very gradually easing himself to his feet, Reeve struggled with holding back excited laughter as he moved beside Cloud. Still grinning, he addressed Elmyra and Tifa in a gentle tone: “With everyone out of Midgar, she finally let herself be caught. I told you she would eventually.”

As though on cue, the dirt-covered cat delicately padded her way out of the carrier and approached Elmyra’s hand. Biting her lip and blinking out moisture, Elmyra let out a shaky sigh as Reggie’s tiny, pink nose neared her fingers. Almost instantly, the cat relaxed and padded up to Tifa next.

“Poor baby,” Elmyra whispered, delicately scratching behind Reggie’s ear. “Poor baby, you must have been so scared…but you made it through Meteor…What a brave girl. Such a good girl.”

Tifa gently stroked the cat’s back as tears also came to her. “She’s been through  _ so _ much. She survived the plate fall too. Marlene and Barret are going to be  _ so _ happy to see you,” she mumbled after a long sniffle. Unable to contain herself, Tifa gently picked up the cat and cradled her in her arms. Reggie made no resistance, her eyes immediately drifting into soft blinks, and Cloud could distinctly hear purrs.

“Welcome home,” Tifa choked between affectionate laughter. “Welcome home.”

Cloud kept his eyes on the two women lavishing attention on the content stray, and subtly shook his head. “…With everything going on you had someone watching out for a  _ cat?” _ he whispered to Reeve.

His smile soft, he nodded distantly as he also watched them. “It wasn’t exactly a high priority, but I had a couple of security officers keeping an eye on the Gainsborough house since I had Marlene and Elmyra brought here.”

Adjusting his hold on the bundle in the crook of his arm, Cloud’s face softened. “How did the house hold up?”

His lips thinning, Reeve’s brow tightened and he lowered his voice further. “I wish I could say well. But I’d rather not focus on a loss right now. That’s…what the soldiers said too,” he added, a gleam in his dark-hazel eyes. “I was surprised they were still keeping it up during the evacuations and clean-up. But one of them said it felt nice to focus on something small. I see what they mean,” he said, his smile returning as Tifa passed Reggie to Elmyra, and Elmyra struggled against sobs. “It’s incredible how much a small gesture means, doesn’t it?” Reeve added to Cloud.

Leaving it at that, Reeve took a step back and gently opened the door again. Cloud held up a hand to stop him, but Reeve shook his head and waved off any concern. As the door shut quietly, Tifa let out a wet sniff and rubbed her face. 

“Wait,” Tifa mumbled. “Where did Reeve go?”

Despite himself, Cloud gave her a gentle smile. “He didn’t want to interrupt.”

“We have to get cat supplies!” Elmyra announced, cradling Reggie and beaming brightly. “Can you imagine Marlene’s face?”

“I can barely imagine Barret’s,” Tifa added with a weary laugh.

Something small could mean so much to so many, and just a couple of ordinary grunts had made this kind of difference to their circle of friends.

Letting out a long, haggard sigh, Cloud set his bundle against the wall near the door. “Tifa, you and Elmyra go get what Reggie needs.”

“Where are you going?” Tifa asked.

As Cloud began to climb the stairs, he threw a shrug to her. “Gotta make sure all the sandwiches are made so Reggie doesn’t get into them, right?”

Tifa smiled back at him knowingly. “Yeah, better get to it, merc.”

“Don’t worry, this one’s on the house.”

* * *

Judet-Ooleena stood in the shadow cast by the once-glistening Shinra building, the morning sun piercing through the floors peppered by shattered windows. Char marks tarnished the outside, and only the barest suggestions of the top floors gave some hint to its former height and majesty. The security teams escorting Judet and Ruluf gazed up at the husk with melancholy reverence, and Ruluf shook their head as they squinted toward the floors Meteor had ravaged. 

If Judet was perfectly honest, she felt little more than indifference when she considered the devastation. The building and the Turks’ dorms had been her home for nearly six years, yet she had never felt welcome in its polished, ebony halls and sterile elegance. It was nothing like the cozy cabins of her village up north—families enveloped by hearthlight, and accustomed to each scuff mark and the faded paint lining the faces of wooden home guardians.

Ruluf met eyes with Judet after throwing an unsure glance to the security teams. Judet replied with a comforting smile to them, then patted their shoulder. She understood their unspoken concerns about temporarily taking command of these groups of security, but there was no time for uncertainty. 

Steeling herself, Judet turned to the groups. Straightening her back, she took a deep breath. “Just a few more minutes and we’re going in. Once we get inside we’ll be splitting up. Agent Dillon will be leading most of you toward the lower levels. My teams will be headed up to the Research and Development floors. I know you’re all anxious,” she added, her husky voice booming across the demolished plaza. 

Her amber-red eyes noted three figures approaching behind the soldiers, still a distance away, and she swallowed. “But you know this building. It’s dark, it’s broken, but it’s no different than what you knew. You know these halls, you’ve walked them a thousand times.

“And we’re not going in alone,” Judet continued, her eyes leveling on the three approaching. “We have the privilege of being joined by three of the heroes of Meteorfall.”

Despite Judet using reverent titles and tones, she immediately caught resentful mumbles from corners of the rank and file gathered. While Ruluf curled a lip in frustration at the distinct lack of gratitude, the security officers’ distaste wasn’t a reaction Judet hadn’t expected.

“I expect you all to give due respect,” Judet announced firmly. “They are not here to order you, but they are here to help. They will be joining my team.”

A hush fell over the officers as more and more of them finally noted the three reaching the back of the groups. The stillness spread through security, leaving only the sounds of debris rolling across concrete and the footfalls of the heroes of Meteorfall. A vibrant, sunset-red shape against the colorless ruins of Midgar, Nanaki padded beside Kisaragi Yuffie. The stalking beasts’ gold eye swept over the milling soldiers, and his heavy paws left trails in the layers of dust. The future  _ Daimyo _ of Wutai strolled confidently, a satisfied grin across her youthful, tanned face despite the uncomfortable gazes on her.

The last figure, the fluttering shape in crimson and ebony, caused Ruluf’s eyes to widen. Leaning closer to Judet, they whispered in a low voice, “Balto said this guy should be pushin’  _ sixty.” _

“Ixnay, ixnay,” Judet muttered in response. 

The time-locked appearance of Vincent Valentine was not a surprise to Judet, but this was also not the first time she had laid eyes on the former Turk. She still recalled that day over a year before (ah, now that she thought about it, with her missing time it was almost two years exactly) when she had the pleasure of meeting Chief Dragoon’s old partner in the basement of the crumbling Shinra manor. Nothing about Valentine had changed since then, though his ragged, black hair did look slightly longer. From between the high collar of his mantle and the thick bandana obscuring his forehead, Valentine’s piercing, red eyes met Judet’s own. 

Only the most minute of changes in his expression read that he remembered her too. It was almost distressing to be recognized by the gaunt, pale, intense-gazed figure half-drifting across the concrete to meet her.

While murmurs went through the gathered soldiers, undeniably bitter sneers on the visible halves of their faces, the three heroes of Meterorfall stopped in front of Ruluf and Judet.

“Thank you for agreeing to this, Nanaki, Miss Kisaragi,” Ruluf began. “And you’re…Agent Valentine?”

Yuffie stifled a loud snicker, while Valentine’s eyes grew thin. “Vincent,” he corrected icily.

Grimacing, Ruluf mumbled an apology as Vincent continued to stare them down without blinking. Judet quickly jumped in, “All three of you are following me.” She pointed to the troops and whispered to Ruluf, “Give another run-down to the officers. They’re not appreciating our escorts. Keep them distracted for a minute.”

By rote Ruluf nodded. They offered a fist bump to her, which she returned, though she fumbled with any of the extra steps they would always add. Grinning after a short finger snap, Ruluf jogged to the security teams and raised their voice to address the crowd.

Meanwhile, Judet anxiously cleared her throat and adjusted her fingerless gloves. It was awkward to be standing in front of Nanaki, Yuffie, and Vincent as allies. While those in Shinra who hadn’t lost months of their lives were grateful for their futures, they were not as thankful for how much Shinra lost in exchange. Their accounts of Cloud Strife’s faction were colored by resentment for razed property and fallen security forces.

Though it was a brief pause as Judet considered her words, their gazes burned through her. At the moment Judet didn’t feel much like someone who had defeated Zirconiade.

“Stick close to me,” she said firmly. “I’ve been informed only one of you has ever been to Shinra headquarters.”

Nanaki growled, “Hardly by choice.”

“I understand that,” Judet assured him. “I appreciate you here, but I understand you owe us nothing.”

The acknowledgement in her voice caused Nanaki to relax slightly. “…And I appreciate you not attempting to brush that aside.”

“What happened, happened,” Judet said. “No apologies on my part will help. But I hope my word that SpecOps’s highest order is to remove the Professor’s legacy from Gaia will be a start.”

Something very much like a grin turned Nanaki’s snout. “It certainly is. Vincent explained some of what your commander hopes to achieve.”

With a short nod of her head, Judet continued, “We don’t anticipate as severe an infestation as in the lower levels of the building, but whatever the Professor kept close to his labs is something we’ll likely need your help with.”

“The whole building should just be demolished,” Yuffie scoffed. “Can we just demolish the thing? I’ll help,” she said eagerly, clenching her fists and bouncing on her heels. “Can I hit the switch? Lemme hit the switch.”

Vincent waved to her and shook his head. “There are likely still resources that can be salvaged. We understand completely that leveling the building is not an option.”

Petulantly, Yuffie grunted and folded her arms across her chest. “Don’t lump ‘me’ in ‘we.’”

“Your help is still appreciated,” Judet said, bowing her head once. She then motioned for them to wait, and walked back toward the teams. Two sharp, loud claps brought all attention to her. “Leave your hangups here. We’re moving in. My team to me!”

The crowds split into two, those following Judet a significantly smaller number. Ruluf would likely need the numbers in their trek to the bowels of the building, and Judet’s had hastily been formed from those at least grudgingly willing to fight alongside former enemies. Ruluf’s teams moved toward the lower parking garages, and as the two groups parted, Judet swallowed. She threw a glance at the three rebels following her lead, and paused only a moment to stare at the shattered remains of the formerly glittering front doors. Allowing this moment to pass, she wordlessly strode through the skeletal frames, and into the still, darkened entry hall. A silence like a tomb embraced the intruders, and motionless escalators and debris-covered stairs awaited them.

**Author's Note:**

> Not a whole lot of notes this chapter. I just recalled the calico cat was with Marlene and Elmyra at the end of the Remake, and I had forgotten during Through Another's Eyes. So, just a chance to take a moment to breathe in Kalm.


End file.
